Mumbai’s Gopal Krishna bridge to partially open on Feb 15 as 1st girder launch completed

For Mumbai’s infrastructure development, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) launched the first girder of the Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge in Andheri during the night between Saturday and Sunday. Civic officials indicate that with the successful launch of the first girder, partial vehicular movement is anticipated to resume from February 15.
The Gokhale Bridge, a crucial east-west link in the western suburbs, underwent dismantling due to structural concerns. Given that the bridge spanned over railway lines, the dismantling occurred in phases between December 2022 and March 2023.
The trial run for the Open Web Girder (OWG) launch took place on Friday (December 1) midnight, where the girder was pushed four meters towards the railway tracks. In the final launch, the entire steel structure was slid toward the tracks and aligned on the erected piers. Over the next 15 days, the OWG will be pushed an additional 14 meters before being lowered by 7.5 meters to align with the approach roads. “The Western Railway has approved an 11-day traffic block for four hours each night. During this period, the girder will be gradually lowered by an average of 550 millimeters in three hours every night,” stated a civic official. During the girder launch, civic officials, including Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ulhas Mahale and Andheri legislator Ameet Satam, were present.
Once the first girder is fully aligned, the BMC will proceed with constructing the approach roads and completing ancillary works. Ameet Satam confirmed that vehicular movement is expected to resume on February 15. Following the first girder’s deployment for traffic, the BMC plans to launch the second girder similarly. Officials estimate the entire bridge will become operational by May 2024.
With a length of 90 meters, the girder is the second-longest Railway Over Bridge (ROB) after the Vidyavihar ROB in the eastern suburbs, which is also under construction. The OWG weighs approximately 1,300 Metric Tonnes. The Gokhale Bridge, a crucial east-west connector in Andheri, was closed in November last year, and construction of the new bridge began in January this year.